Farewell Spit Eco Tour

Farewell Spit is a narrow 26 km long sand spit at the northern end of Golden Bay. The first few kilometers can be publicly accessed. The rest only via a bus tour, including the lighthouse near the end of the spit. The red offroad bus uses the beach as a highway at low tide and the tour takes more than 4 hours total.

We had a quite windy day, which means the almost white sand was flying eastwards quicker than our bus could drive. But that made it a very special and exciting experience for us, watching how the landscape is transformed every day. The bus driver said that the sand is more than 200 m deep and the spit length increases by about 4 meters every year.

Every few kilometers we could see a pair of oyster catchers, marking their territory. On a few occasions we also had the opportunity to see fur seals and gannets. They all seemed unimpressed by the bus though. :) The ride ended at the lighthouse where we had a snack before we went back again.

First stop: Fossil point. Couldn't spot any fossils though
First stop: Fossil point. Couldn’t spot any fossils though
There it is, the famous red bus
There it is, the famous red bus on the beach
Cowgirl on the rock
Cowgirl on the rock
What's the driver saying?
What’s the driver saying?
Windy lighthouse picture
Windy lighthouse picture
Said to be the only open steel frame lighthouse in NZ
Said to be the only open steel frame lighthouse in NZ (or something like that)
Whale bones to view
Whale bones to view
Driving a bus on loose sand is a risk
Driving a bus on loose sand is a risk
Sometimes it has to reverse to get out again
Sometimes it has to reverse to get out again
Lazy fur seal
Lazy fur seal
Curious fur seal
Curious fur seal
Don't ask me bird names...
Don’t ask me bird names…
Another fur seal
Another fur seal
That tree is laying there for years now
That tree is lying there for years
There is always time to do hand stands
There is always time to do hand stands
That's a gannet from the large colony nearby!
That’s a gannet from the large colony nearby!
Hiking up a massive sand dune
Hiking up a massive sand dune
Yay, flying sand
Yay, flying sand
Reminds me on motion blur filter in Photoshop
Reminds me on motion blur filter in Photoshop
Jumping down dunes again (must do)
Jumping down dunes again (must do)
That's no mist, that's all flying sand
That’s no mist, that’s all flying sand
The red sign marks the end of the public accessible area
The red sign marks the end of the public accessible area
Left-nosed elephant is staring at you
Left-nosed elephant is staring at you